Harry McCarty
by TakEnet
Summary: Emmett was married and had a daughter when he was turned. After remembering, he tracked down the whereabouts of his descendants and found three: Petunia Dursley, Dudley and Harry. A visit to the Dursley household resulted in the dubious custody of Harry.
1. Memories Lost

Author's Note:

I haven't written for fun in ages! So, using the excuse of improving my writing (and also because I'm thoroughly sick of writing reports, proposals, etc.), I am starting this story which is loosely based on AbNaGbEyL's challenge: the Harry Potter/Twilight Harry McCarty challenge. To make the two separate series fit, I've moved around the timelines quite a bit. Basically, either Bella's story happened a lot earlier or Harry's birth came a lot later. By that, I mean that Bella moving to Forks roughly coincides with Harry's early childhood (pre-Voldemort attack).

The story starts after Edward and the Cullens left Forks after the disastrous birthday party for Bella at the beginning of New Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Memories Lost**

_Mid-February, 1982_

Emmett Cullen was lying in a field of thick snow, watching blooming clouds race across the sky, musing on the current scattered state of the Cullen family.

The instant they all arrived in Alaska, Alice began to scream at Edward for his decision to leave Bella without giving her a chance to explain things or even say goodbye. Edward, strangely enough, merely clenched his jaw but did not respond to anything Alice had said. In a fit of anger, Alice immediately packed up her and Jasper's belongings and left, stating that she was unable to stay in the same country as someone as selfish as Edward.

A couple of days later, Jasper called Carlisle to report that he and Alice were now in the southern portion of Argentina. He also mentioned that Alice was still extremely angry at Edward, and so it was very unlikely that they would be returning to the rest of the family any time soon.

When the rest of the Cullens finally visisted the Denali coven after settling in, they were very surprised to find Laurent with them. It seemed that Laurent was intrigued enough by their diet of animals and was willing to give it a try. It also didn't hurt that he caught the eye of Irina and their infatuation with each other provided ample reason for him to stay. As the Cullens enlightened Laurent and the Denalis of James death, Laurent informed them that Victoria, as James' partner, will most likely exact revenge on Edward through Bella. This prompted Edward into packing and leaving to hunt down Victoria before she had a chance to hurt Bella.

Thus, only Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett remained in Alaska. Rosalie was firmly of the belief that Bella was the main cause of the breakup of their family and took to sulking alone in the house. Even Emmett couldn't get through her bad mood, so he began to go hunting alone, which was why he was currently lying alone in the open meadow covered with snow.

It had been an unusually warm winter, and now, in mid-February, many animals were starting to come out of hibernation. He was out by the north coast of Alaska earlier and had dined on several seals. Suddenly, the quiet rumble of something digging in snow sounded at the edge of his hearing. He sat up and cocked his head in the direction of the sound, idly wondering what it might be. Deciding that anything would be better than the general depressed mood back home, he got up and sprinted towards the sound.

Emmett arrived just in time to see a mother polar bear poke her head out of her den, checking her surroundings for any dangers or threats. Emmett stopped and stayed at a respectable distance to watch. Soon, two polar bear cubs came tumbling out of the hole, wrestling each other while slipping and sliding down the slope. He smiled at their antics, but the sight tickled something in his memories. Settling in the permafrost, he began to dig through his past as a frown appeared on his face.

The trauma from both the severe mauling of a bear and his turning into a vampire caused him to lose most of his human memories. The polar bear cubs seemed to have brought something from the shadowy depths of his mind. Light, twinkling laughter was first to surface from his memories, but it was not laughter Emmett recognized. As he wracked his brain to place a person to the laughter, fuzzy images began to appear. It appeared to be a memory of a zoo, standing outside an outdoor exhibit. There was a large moat behind the railing, and the habitat was one of snow, on which there was a small, white fuzzy animal of sorts tumbling about – a polar bear cub!

The laughter sounded again, and the memory swung to the side to show a toddler, a girl, clapping her hands in delight at the antics of the cub as it wrestled with some brightly coloured toy inside its habitat. The girl had long curly hair and dimples as she grinned.

"Da!" the toddler cried, "po-ar bear!" Her young speech was missing 'l's.

The girl was held up by a woman, whose face was too fuzzy to make out in the memory. _But who was this girl_, Emmett thought. No matter how much he forced his brain to remember, he simply could not identify the child. Giving up, he finally decided to head back to the house.

As he neared the home, Esme came to open the door for him, to welcome him back. Ever since Alice, Jasper and then Edward had left, she had taken to this habit of welcoming everyone home, be it Carlisle, Rosalie, or him, to reassure herself that the rest of the family are still around. However, the instant Esme stepped out the door, Emmett halted in his tracks, another memory from his human life swarming up. His wife, Anna, did the exact same every evening when he came home from work.

When Rosalie rescued him when he was being mauled to death by a bear, she did not take note of the location before she ran towards Carlisle. He also had no other memories of himself as a human apart from basic facts such as his name, Emmett McCarty. It never occurred to him, or to Carlisle, or anyone else in the Cullen family at the time, to get more information apart from his basic identity: name, age, location of residence. But now, it came as a total shock to him that he had been married to someone else named Anna prior to that fatal hunting trip.

"Emmett?" Esme called, worried by his sudden stop.

Emmett ran towards the house again, flashing a reassuring grin at Esme when he drew near.

"Sorry, Esme, got a little lost in thought there."

"Well come on in, dear, and welcome home."

Esme drew Emmett into a strong hug.

"How's Rosalie?" Emmett asked, concerned that his wife was still in such a bad mood even after all this time.

"About the same, I'm afraid," Esme replied with a slight frown, "won't you please try and talk to her again?"

"I will. Just let me clean up first."

Emmett dashed up his stairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes. As the water ran down his body, he thought back to those two memories he recently remembered. A wife, and the child, could that be his own daughter?

Cleaned up and in fresh clothes, he knocked on the door to the bedroom he and Rosalie shared.

"Rose, love, talk to me please?"

"Go away!" came the snapped reply.

Emmett opened his mouth to respond, but froze. Sarah! Sarah McCarty! The toddler's name was Sarah McCarty, and she was his daughter! He all but tore down the stairs, running into Carlisle's study to borrow his computer. He sat down and drummed his fingers rather impatiently while he waited for the computer to boot up, unwittingly creating dents on Carlisle's desk. Logging on to the internet, he quickly looked up a trustworthy genealogist. Quickly punching in the number into his cellphone, he deleted the browsing history, turned off the computer, and dashed out of the house once again.

"Emmett? Emmett!" Esme cried as he ran out the door.

Moving to a spot far enough away from the house for privacy while staying in the range of his cellphone's reception, he dialled the number and waited for the genealogist to pick up.

"Hello? Yes, I would like to track down the whereabouts of someone I recently realized I was related to. Yes, her name is Sarah McCarty, and she was born around 1933 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee..."


	2. Family Past and Present

**Chapter 2 – Family Past and Present**

_Late February, 1982_

"Emmett, there's a package for you," Carlisle called out as he sorted out the post.

Emmett immediately stopped his video game to come pick up the package. Carlisle and Esme exchanged a long look. _Nothing_ ever stopped Emmett from his video games. What could be in the package that was so important as to make the easygoing vampire to turn so serious like that? The package was ordinarily enough looking – a tan manila envelope with the Cullen's current address and a PO Box return address neatly typed out. Emmett never noticed the exchange as he walked off slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. Carlisle and Esme were left perplexed in living room.

Esme whispered so softly that only Carlisle could hear her words, "Carlisle, should we...?"

Carlisle only shook his head. He replied in the same low whisper, "Let the children be. They'll all come back to their normal selves sooner or later. Although I do hope that it's sooner rather than later!"

Esme moved over to where Carlisle was sitting to snuggle by his side.

"But it's just so depressing with them all so far apart, both physically and mentally!"

Carlisle sighed, "I know, I'm especially worried about Rosalie. It's not like her to shut herself off for so long. But what can we do?"

_But what can we do?_ That thought would stay in both Carlisle's and Esme's minds for a long time.

I I I I I

Emmett sat behind the door of Jasper and Alice's room. The couple had been gone for months and there were no indications that they would be returning any time soon. Rosalie was still holed up in her and Emmett's shared room, preventing access to all, including Emmett, and she left by jumping out the window only when she needed to hunt. Emmett had no choice but to stay somewhere else for the time being.

Sitting on the floor, he stared at the harmless looking envelope in his hands as he turned it over and over again, as if the act would give up the secrets within. He knew what it was, results from the genealogist. He had insisted anonymity, and the genealogist was well acquainted with this type of requests from his clients. Anyone who looked into the return address would find a PO Box rented out to a businesswoman living alone. There was absolutely no connection between the woman and the genealogist.

Emmett had no idea how long he had been sitting on the floor, flipping the envelope this way and that, so the burning sensation in his throat which reminded him to feed took him by complete surprise. Looking indecisive, he had a hard time between choosing to open the envelope or to go hunting first. It wasn't until the burning in his throat reached an almost unbearable intensity before he made up his mind. Stashing the envelope under some loose floorboards, he took off.

I I I I I

Hunting done, thirst satisfied, he was back in Jasper and Alice's room again, but pacing the floors this time. Round and round he walked, always circling the area under which the envelope was located. Someone knocked on the door and he jumped, crashing into a dresser.

"Emmett?" Carlisle called out without opening the door to leave Emmett some privacy, "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Carlisle, just peachy."

There was an awkward silence for several seconds.

"Just... tone down the pacing a bit, alright, son? You're starting to stress Esme out."

"Oh... oh! Uh, sorry Esme!" The last was called out in a slightly louder voice.

"It's okay, Emmett, everything will be okay," Esme's tone was meant to be reassuring but only made Emmett feel guilty.

Carlisle's footsteps moved away from the door and back downstairs to his study, leaving Emmett once again in the relative silence of the house. Clenching his jaw, he reached down to pull the envelope out from under the floorboards. So tense that he forgot all manners of human habits, the statue-like vampire began to finally open the package at a painstakingly slow speed.

Pulling out the thick sheath of papers, he began to read:

"Dear Mr. Cullen,

Below is a summary of all the collected information (all photocopies provided) of one Sarah McCarty and her descendants. The research fee along with photocopying and other miscellaneous fees will be deducted directly from your account at the end of the month. The invoice follows directly after this letter.

We wish to thank you for relying on the services of _Family Trace Genealogy Inc._

Signed,

FTG Inc.

Sarah Therese McCarty:  
Date of Birth: April 15, 1933,  
Location of Birth: Gatlinburg Hospital, Gatlinburg, Tennessee,  
Parents: Emmett Matthew McCarty  
Anna Deirdre McCarty (née Geralds)

...

..."

I I I I I

"Emmett?" Esme softly knocked on the door, "Are you still in there?"

When there was no reply, Esme knocked again, "Emmett?"

"Ye... yeah, Esme, I'm here," Emmett replied in a whisper.

"Are you alright? You haven't moved at all in three days. You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"I'm okay, Esme, there's nothing to worry about. I'm just... thinking things through."

"Well come out soon, please, dear. Both Carlisle and I are worried about you."

"I will, just... just... just give me a couple of hours. I'll come out."

Emmett waited until Esme had left before slumping to the floor. The papers in his hands sliding out to float all around the room before settling on the floor or furnitures.

As a human, he, Emmett Matthew McCarty, was married to a woman named Anna and had a daughter, Sarah. His wife had remarried a few years after his 'death', for they had found blood and torn pieces of clothing where the bear mauled him and had pronounced him dead and most likely eaten by wildlife. Her new husband, one Adam Curtis, was drafted into the army in the midst of World War II, and the entire family moved to England to be closer to the soldier. Sarah grew up in England and later married Jonathan Evans and had two daughters, Petunia and Lily. She had died only four years ago, her husband some years before that.

The information of Emmett's granddaughters was something of a mystery. For Petunia, it was complete, from her elementary school grades all the way up to secondary school and marriage certificate to one Vernon Dursley. Her current occupation was listed as a housewife. For Lily, the paperwork went up until she was 11 years old before it seemed like she vanished off the face of the earth. She was listed as dead, but there were no death certificates, no mention of how she died, where she was buried. Simply nothing. Even if she had been kidnapped, there should have been police reports, newspaper clippings, but there were none. It was as if she didn't exist anymore.

Petunia's file continued. She was now Petunia Dursley, living in Surrey, UK. There were two boys listed as living in the same household: the first was Dudley Dursley, born June 30, 1980, complete with birth certificate, and the second was Harry. Due to the lack of paperwork for Harry, the genealogist concluded that Harry must be a newborn and his documents were still being processed at the hospital and government registration offices.

He had three descendants still living: a granddaughter and two great-grandsons. He had spent the last three days, trying to wrap this news around his head and was mostly unsuccessful. Finally, Emmett decided that he wanted to get to know them, give them a chance to be more than just words and pictures on a page. He was going to go to England and meet them by pretending to be a distant cousin of Sarah. Who knows, maybe the trip would even get Rosalie out of her bubble!

I I I I I

"Rosalie?" Emmett was knocking on the door to their room once again.

"Go away," this time, the reply was muttered, lacking the strength it had in the previous months.

"Rosie, love, how would you like to go to England with me? Just for a little bit?"


	3. Freaks and Babies

Author's Note:

Slow update, I know. Took a somewhat impromptu vacation which ended up with a side trip to the Olympic Peninsula - got all the way to Port Angeles, but Forks was a little too far given our time limit. I didn't choose the destination, mind you, not that I protested either. ) I did find one store front window completely dedicated to Twilight though! (And according to the tour book, there is a Bella Italia restaurant or something similarly named in Port Angeles.)

Anyway, here's the long awaited for scene, in which the Twilight and Harry Potter worlds collide. Hope it meets up to your expectations!

** Updated! I had two reviewers commenting on my incorrect British wildlife, so I went back and fixed it (I do apologize - I obviously do not live in the UK, nor anywhere on mainland Europe). It doesn't really change the overall chapter though. **

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Freaks and Babies**

_Early March, 1982_

Emmett and Rosalie settled into their luxurious hotel suite on the outskirts of London, Great Britain. The city itself was too crowded for comfort, and the hotel was within running distance – for vampires anyway – to Surrey. Upon arriving, Emmett called Carlisle to inform him that they had arrived safely. Esme was broken-hearted at the fact that all her 'children' had left, but Emmett made sure to reassure her that he and Rosalie would be back within the week.

Emmett had informed Rosalie on the flight over of his intent to visit his descendants who resided in Surrey. The plan was to visit Petunia and the children, exchange contact details, and return to Alaska. From there, he would keep long-distance contact with the Dursley family. Why he was keeping this a secret from Carlisle and Esme, he wasn't really sure himself. But Rosalie's only response was a flat "fine, whatever" before returning to gazing out the window. She did not seem remotely interested in anything, nor had anything caustic to say, and Emmett fretted. What could he possibly do to make Rosalie happy again?

It was now night time, and Emmett was heading out to hunt before running over to Surrey tomorrow to meet his relatives. He had invited Rosalie to come along, but she merely turned on the television and began channel surfing. Her only acknowledgement of him was to flutter her fingers in the general direction of the door. Frowning, he left.

I I I I I

The hunt was largely unsatisfying. Human civilization had mostly exterminated the majority of the large predator population in Britain, and even deer were few and far in between. Emmett was forced to make do with foxes, badgers and other small game instead. Returning from his hunt, he found that Rosalie had locked herself in the bathroom, enjoying a long hot bath. Nothing he said could persuade her to come out, nor was she willing to go to Surrey with him in the morning to meet his relatives. Sighing, he turned on the TV in the attempt to make time pass by faster.

I I I I I

Privet Drive, Surrey.

A fairly boring neighbourhood, in Emmett's opinion, where every single house was identical in shape and size as the next. The only difference was in the colours, and even then there weren't many variation outside of white, light blue and tan. Even all the lawns looked vaguely the same in terms of layout and landscaping! How anyone can live in such a cookie-cutter community was beyond Emmett's imagination. He already missed the variety and even the 'left to run rampant' homes of American society.

Emmett easily identified Number Four Privet Drive by the large number fixed to the wall beside the porch. Comparing Number Four to the rest of the houses on the street resulted in no differences at all – well trimmed hedges, well maintained lawn, beautiful flowers growing in the flowerbed. Plastering a somewhat stiff smile on his face, he strolled up to the front door and rang the bell.

"Coming!" a shrill voice, grating on the sensitive ears of the vampire, called out.

Emmett winced minutely, a small ball of dread forming in his stomach. The door opened to reveal a blonde, bony woman with a horsey face and very long neck. When she spied Emmett standing on her front porch and saw his good looks, she beamed at him in a disturbingly sweet manner.

"Yes, young man, how may I help you?"

"Uh..." Emmett was rather flustered by the display, "are you Petunia Dursley? I'm a distant relative of Sarah McCarty and just found out I have other relatives here in England – well, you, to be exact. My name..."

"Oh but of course!" Petunia screeched in a loud voice meant for her neighbours to overhear, "A cousin, how wonderful! You must come in! Come in!"

Wincing at the increase in volume and frequency of Petunia's speech, Emmett let himself be dragged into the house, wondering what on earth he has gotten himself into.

I I I I I

"Please, sit down, I'll have tea out in a flash." Petunia led Emmett into the sitting room, all but shoved him into one of the couches, and disappeared into the kitchen.

The sitting room was decorated in an extravagant manner meant to flaunt wealth and possessions. The television was on and playing some sort of children's show, and a fat toddler with blond hair sat in a playpen in the middle of the sitting room, staring avidly at the television without pause, not even to look at the stranger who had came into the room.

Emmett looked around, uncomfortable with the whole situation. He could hear Petunia in the kitchen, bustling about, pulling things from cupboards while the kettle was heating on the stove. However, there should be two children in the house. One was in front of him, watching TV, so where was the other? Forcing the sounds from the TV out of him mind, he focused on his hearing and finally heard the sound of a third heartbeat, that of a child's, coming from... the door underneath the staircase? That can't be, Emmett thought, there must be another room behind the staircase.

Petunia came out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands, distracting Emmett from his train of thoughts. He tried to get up to help, but was waved aside and told to remain in his seat. Once everything had been settled on the coffee table and the tea and cake served, the interrogation started:

"Oh dear, oh dear, I never thought that there would be other relatives visiting, especially from the McCarty side! Now, my dear, you must simply tell me your name!"

"Uh... my name is Emmett. Emmett McCarty, I mean."

"Oh, how wonderful! Emmett! Such a traditional and handsome name, just right for someone as handsome as you!" Petunia simpered and fawned over Emmett.

The conversation continued in this vain for over an hour, in which Emmett had no chance to get a question of his own in. Petunia blathered on about her husband Vernon and his oh-so-important job at Grunnings, bragged about her lovely son, Dudley, who had thrown a tantrum when he saw the food but none was offered to him and refused to stop crying until Petunia finally gave him some baby biscuits, and boasted about the neighbourhood and how difficult it was to get a home here had it not been connections Vernon had.

Finally, it seemed Petunia had ran out of things to say and began to pepper Emmett about his family life, to which he gave confused and often contradicting answers about Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Edward. Considering the fact that Petunia never noticed the conflicting information offered by Emmett, it was clear that her goal was to keep him in the house as long as she possibly could.

By that time, the tea had gone cold and most of the cake eaten. At long last, Petunia paused in her conversation to pick up the tray with the intention of refilling the various items that were on it. Emmett chose this opportunity to finally ask his question.

"According to the information I was given, you have a second son, do you not? One by the name of Harry?"

Petunia's body went completely rigid and Emmett could hear her heartbeat speed up.

"What did you say?" she uttered in a low, menacing voice.

Emmett was shocked but replied anyway, "I was told you have another son named Harry..."

The tray dropped from Petunia's hands as she whirled around to face him.

"There is no one by the name of Harry in this house!" she all but screamed at him.

"But look," Emmett pulled out a copy of the results he got from the genealogist, point to the relevant paragraphs, "it says here that there are two boys living here in this house, Dudley Dursley and Har – "

Petunia ripped the papers out of his hands and proceeded to tear them into shreads. Her face had completely transformed into an ugly sneer and she began shrieking at the top of her voice. Emmett was so surprised by the outburst that he forgot all about replicating human mannerisms and simply sat there, still as a stone statue.

"That **freak** is no son of mine! Don't you dare call him my son, as if I would give birth to something as freaky and unnatural as him! Who do you think you are, strolling into my house and asking after that... that trash! Everybody fawned over his mother, but I knew better, I saw her for the freak that she was! And of course, she had to marry another freak and produce that freak of an offspring, then she and her freak husband had to go and get themselves killed and dump their freak offspring on me! Well I will not have it! Vernon and I will not tolerate any freakishness in the house! ... ..."

Petunia continued to rave on and on about freaks and unnatural things, but Emmett's head was spinning round and round. All he wanted was to meet his descendents, but it seemed like he had sparked some sort of lifelong grudge between Petunia and her sister Lily. It also seemed that Harry was not Petunia's son at all but her nephew, and even though she hosted him in her own house, she was not willing to treat him the same as she would for her own son. In fact, she was now ranting about needing to separate _the freak_ from Dudley so that her precious son would catch any of the freakishness from _the freak_.

There was a slight pause in Petunia's raving as she glared at Emmett, studying him closely. Her gaze turned murderous when she took in his unnatural figure and features. Storming over to the door under the staircase, she ripped open the door, pulled a shrieking cloth bundle out, and shoved it into Emmett's arms.

"You're one of _them_, aren't you! One of the freaks coming to check on us! Well enough is enough, take him and be gone!"

Emmett, who was too perplexed to do anything, allowed himself be steered by Petunia towards the front door and shoved outside.

"Take him and leave! We wash our hands of the freak. Don't ever darken our front steps ever again! And if you don't leave soon, I will be calling the police!"

The door slammed behind him. The cloth bundle in his arms continued to shriek and wiggle, so Emmett began unwrapping the layers to see what was inside. A small head with a mop of black hair poked out, eyes clenched, mouth wide open as it bawled. Comprehension dawned as Emmett finally realized that he was holding Harry in his arms. Even though he was still thoroughly confused with the last five minutes of his visit to the Dursley household, he knew that Harry was no longer welcome with the family. With no other options in mind, he headed back to the hotel and to Rosalie with little Harry cradled in his arms.


	4. The Newly Created McCarty Family

Author's Note:

Two reviews have brought up the point that there are no wolves or coyotes in England. Guess I didn't do my research on UK wildlife! Although it seems like they're trying to reintroduce wolves back into Scotland...? Anyway, the point is, at some point in time in the past, wolves and other larger mammalian wildlife did exist in UK, but the expansion of the human population on the island must've driven (or hunted) them to extinction. This reminds me of the story a few years ago about the first wild bear to show up within German borders were shot by officials (it crossed over from Italy). Absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me. I guess I'm a bit spoiled by my close proximity to the Rockies, where we have moose, wolves, bears, elk, etc. I didn't realize was still so 'wild' compared to Europe! Anyway, I did fix that little bit - changed the animals to foxes and badgers. It's just I would much prefer Emmett to hunt larger mammals - makes more sense at least, in that he'd get enough blood from wolves than trying to track down heck knows how many foxes and badgers and whatnot before he'd be satisfied!

**

* * *

Chapter 4 – The Newly Created McCarty Family**

_March 12, 1982, well after nightfall_

Rosalie stood still as a statue, staring wide-eyed at Emmett, who had just came into the hotel room with a dirty bundle in his arms. She could hear the rapid heartbeat of a very young child, possibly even an infant, coming from within.

"Emmett!" she hissed at him, not moving from her spot across the hotel room, "What are you doing?"

"His relatives didn't want him," he replied looking lost and depressed, "they didn't want him, my great-grandson. What am I supposed to do?"

"Get rid of him! Take him away, to an orphanage or something. Are you insane? Have you forgotten that we are **vampires**?"

Emmett's emotions made a 180-degree turn. He looked absolute outraged at Rosalie's commands.

"Get rid of him?" Emmett's voice came out as a barely audible whisper, even by vampire standards, "Get rid of him?"

In their 40-some years together, Emmett had never once gave Rosalie a disproving look, let alone a glare. However, tonight, the look on Emmett's face was one with almost murderous intent, so dark that it felt to Rosalie as if a shadow had been thrown over all the lights in the room.

"You, who have always wanted a child. You, who have always looked on with envy at every single family we came into contact with. You, who would give your life to have a child. And you want me to get rid of my **own great-grandson**?"

Emmett's voice grew with each word until it became a roar at the end. Little Harry, who had been sleeping peacefully in Emmett's arms during the run from Surrey back to the hotel after sundown, was propelled from his slumber into a state of terror and began to wail with all his might. Both vampires were shocked by the loud cries and simply stayed in place for several minutes while Harry cried on.

"Harry?" Emmett was the first to break the silence, the expression on his face one of tenderness, "I'm so sorry, little one, I didn't mean to wake you."

He placed the bundle on his bed and began to gently unwrap the child from the blankets.

"Let's see how you're doing."

As he continued to wrestle with the cloths that were tightly wrapped around Harry, Rosalie came over to lend a hand. All she could see of the child was a shock of black hair and very pale skin, Harry's face scrunched up in tears.

"I'm sorry Emmett, I didn't mean…" she trailed off, still uncertain about the whole situation.

Emmett merely grunted in reply.

It soon became apparent that the bundle could not be easily untied, so Emmett very carefully began to tear the cloths apart. What met their eyes was beyond their wildest expectations.

"They didn't…!" Rosalie gasped.

"But it's clear that they did," Emmett replied grimly.

The child hidden inside the bundle was a mess. His body was covered in sores and rashes which led the couple to believe that he was not bathed very often. There were also bruises, telltale signs of mistreatment or manhandling of the child. Most horrifying of all was his skinniness – instead of a plump, rotund body that all children should have at that age, his ribs were clearly visible.

Rosalie reached out with shaking hands to undo his diapers, which, from the smell alone, was clear that it had not been changed for at least half a day. There were even more sores, some of them infected, underneath.

"Oh you poor thing," Rosalie cooed as she picked Harry up, "you poor, poor thing."

She dashed into the washroom, intent on giving Harry a soft, gentle bath. Emmett was left staring at the filthy mess on the bed, rage apparent on his face.

"What I wouldn't do to give those Dursleys a well deserved pummelling!" he growled.

I I I I I

_March 13, 1982, in the wee hours of the morning_

Harry was now dressed in the most comfortable set of baby pyjamas, safely ensconced between the hotel bed pillows and peacefully sleeping after having drank his milk. While Rosalie was busy giving Harry a bath, Emmett had dashed out into town, thankful for the early sunset in March which gave him time to go shopping for baby supplies. He raided the nearest department store for baby clothes, milk powder and children foods, diapers, and almost every single book available on how to care for babies. The store clerk ringing up his supplies had gaped when Emmett was able to carry all his purchases with almost no effort.

They dressed Harry up in the warmest clothes that Emmett bought, madly flipped through the books to figure out how much milk to give him, and Rosalie fed him his bottle with a thick blanket to prevent Harry from catching a chill due to the icy cold skin of the vampire. As Harry slept on, Emmett showed Rosalie the results from the genealogist and recounted all the events with Petunia Dursley as the pair read through every single book he had bought.

"How old do you think he is?" Rosalie asked, gazing adoringly at Harry sleeping on the bed. She had fallen instantly in love with the boy after seeing his bright green eyes when he had finally calmed down during the bath.

"Um… it's hard to say, considering how starved he looks. But he does fit into all the clothes for 12-month-old children. So he's probably more than a year old, but I can't guess much more than that."

"Then let's say he's exactly one year old, Em. March 12 can be his birthday, since that's the day you brought him home."

The vampire couple sat in companionable silence, contemplating their new charge.

"I wonder where that scar of his come from? It looks much older than his other injuries," Rosalie speculated.

"Who knows?" Emmett shrugged, "There's so much I don't know about him – who his dad is, what happened to the guy and Lily, who left him with Petunia, what 'freakishness' Petunia was raving about… I wonder why the genealogist didn't have any more information about Lily and Harry?"

"What are we going to do now? Esme and Carlisle definitely won't allow us to keep him!" Rosalie fretted.

"We'll keep him. We'll raise him as our son. We just need to get a hold of Jasper so he give us an agent here in UK who can get us our papers and passports. I'll take my name again, McCarty. Rose, you can be my wife – Rosalie McCarty, no, Mrs. Rosalie McCarty, and he shall be our son, Harry McCarty!"

"Perhaps… we can name him after Carlisle as well? Harry Carlisle McCarty?"

"Harry Carlisle McCarty," Emmett sounded the name out, "what a fine name for our son," He grinned at Rosalie, "and when he's older, we can take him to meet Carlisle!"

Suddenly, Emmett frowned, "now we'll have to work twice, no, ten times, no, even a hundred times as hard as before!"

"Emmett?" Rosalie asked in confusion.

He gestured at the child sleeping on the bed.

"He's a boy! All boys are going to get into scraps and even fights, which means he'll bleed. We're going to have to work a hundred times as hard as before in fighting off our bloodlust. We simply can**not** afford to make any mistakes, not even a single one!"

Emmett looked at Harry again.

"But it will be well worth the effort," he whispered.

Rosalie took Emmett's hands in her own.

"It will definitely be well worth the effort," she agreed.

* * *

Endnote:

I'm not sure if I went overboard with the neglect/abuse on poor little Harry. But the way I think about it is that if it didn't kill Harry as a toddler, they would've simply kept doing the same thing as he grew up. I mean, he was already cooking for them at the age of 10, fairly competently, too, so he must've started a lot earlier, which makes the idea of them having grossly neglected him right from the start fairly believable.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next will tie into events from New Moon.

Please read & review! Reviews make me happy and give me motivation to continue writing. :)


	5. Separation of the Cullens

Author's Note:

My updates are really irregular, I know, but here it is, chapter 5, tying in the events of New Moon. It was actually a fairly difficult chapter to write, but when I finally figured out how to write it, it just flowed and turned into this much longer than expected chapter. Got a bit of explanations at the end if any of you are confused.

I guess this is also where I put in the warning for **New Moon spoiler** in this chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Separation of the Cullens**

_Mid-March, 1982_

Carlisle and Esme were out hunting in the crisp Alaskan landscape when his cell phone suddenly rang. Stopping abruptly, he pulled out his phone and was surprised to see Alice's number in the calling display. By then, Esme had joined him.

"Who is it, dear?" Esme asked.

"Alice," he replied before flipping open the phone, "Alice? Is there –"

"There's no time, Carlisle, I saw Bella." Alice spoke so quickly that a human would not have been able to catch her words.

"What? Bella? But Alice, Edward said not to!"

"I wasn't intentionally looking at her future!" Alice shouted angrily, startling Carlisle, as she rarely raised her voice. "But the vision just came out of nowhere!"

"It's okay," Carlisle soothed, "I believe you. Now what's happening with Bella?"

"She jumped off a cliff!" shrieked Alice, "I'm currently driving back to Forks, but Carlisle, Bella…! She jumped off a cliff and I saw her go into the water. I waited and waited, but the vision ended and she never came up!"

Esme gasped. Alice was speaking loud enough for her to hear even though she was not the one on the phone.

"I'm sending Jasper your way," Alice yelled, "so all of you stay put until I get to Forks and figure out what is going on!"

I I I I I

When Jasper arrived, Esme had worked herself almost to a state of panic, requiring the empath to spend hours soothing her with his power before she finally calmed down. Afterwards, the three vampires spent hours in discussion, brainstorming for all the possible outcome of Alice's vision and debating over the best course of action. Esme was all for returning to Forks right away, but Carlisle gently reminded her that returning so soon after Bella's death would look highly suspicious. Finally, the small group settled on staying as Alice suggested and impatiently waited for her call.

By the next day, when there were still no calls from Alice, the three started arguing once again, this time over whether or not they should inform the rest of the family of the news. Jasper was completely against both ideas, as he had complete confidence in Alice in her ability to smooth things over back in Forks. Esme wanted to let Edward, Emmett and Rosalie know so that her three missing 'children' would come home and their family be complete once again. As the day dragged on, and no one could come to an agreement over the issues, Carlisle finally took the decision into his hands.

"We are a family, and as such, each member has a right to know about any and all news which has a potential of affect any one of us. I will call Emmett and Rosalie first and let them know what Alice said. As for Edward, I will tell him that we have important news concerning Bella, but he must come home before we share the news with him," Carlisle announced.

Esme was so ecstatic over the idea that the family would once again be whole that she took off at once to clean out the house and to get the children's rooms ready. Jasper still felt that this would be a bad idea, but as Carlisle was head of the coven, he had no choice but to go along with it.

Unfortunately, on the other side of the world, Emmett and Rosalie were having major problems of their own. Harry's health had taken a turn for the worst. Because of the severe physical state of Harry, they were unwilling to take the boy to the hospital in case they ended up being arrested for kidnapping and/or child abuse charges. Additionally, because of such a young child being in close proximity, both vampires had taken to going hunting everyday to try and decrease the risk of either one of them losing control and accidentally attacking Harry.

Emmett had just gone out for medication for Harry when the phone rang. Harry, who had finally fallen asleep after spending much of the day crying and wailing his discomfort, jolted awake with a start and began bawling afresh. Rosalie took out her cell phone and saw Carlisle's number on the caller display. Torn between two obligations, she dithered until her phone stopped ringing, solving her dilemma. She picked up Harry once more and gently rocked him while singing a lullaby in the hopes that he would fall asleep again.

When Carlisle couldn't get a hold of Rosalie, he tried calling Emmett instead and got him on the phone. However, Emmett was busy trying to convince the female pharmacist to give him infant medication without a prescription and only listened with half an ear to what Carlisle said. Esme then came on the phone to persuade him to return to USA but Emmett gave her a stream of vague excuses before claiming that he was busy and hung up. It wasn't until several days later, when Harry finally began to start healing, that Emmett realized he told Esme that he and Rosalie were going to stay in England to establish a black bear population here and go frolicking in the hills. When he remembered his words, he got so flustered that he ended up running into a tree and knocking it down, scaring off the deer he was tracking.

Carlisle, Esme and Jasper were all bewildered that Emmett had refused Esme's request to come home. However, since none of them knew precisely where in England the pair currently were, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to call Edward.

I I I I I

Edward did not answer his phone, so Carlisle left a voice message, asking Edward to call him back as soon as possible for some urgent news. Edward did not call until late into the night and was annoyed when Carlisle refused to tell him what the urgent news was, only that he was to head to their house in Denali immediately. It wasn't until Edward threatened to throw his phone away and cut all ties with the family that Carlisle finally gave in and told him that it was news pertaining to Bella.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked into the phone after an entire minute of silence from Edward.

"Carlisle," Edward growled, "stop playing games and tell me now."

"Not until you come back to Denali."

Edward simply hung up. He began to contemplate who else to call to get the information. Alice was out of the question, since the news most likely came from Alice's visions, not to mention the two of them still haven't spoken to each other since the yelling match shortly after they moved to Alaska. That also left Jasper out. Esme would most likely agree with Carlisle and not tell him anything until he was home. That left Emmett and Rosalie. Coming to a decision, he flipped open his phone again and dialled.

"Emmett?" he said when his call finally connected.

I I I I I

It was Rosalie's turn for a break, which meant Emmett had his hands full with a sick and screaming toddler. Any attempts at feeding Harry resulted in the food being thrown forcefully away, and the entire place had food bits and splashes of milk strewn all over. It was only thanks to Emmett's vampiric hearing that he was able to hear his phone ring over the cries of Harry.

Without thinking of the consequences, he answered, "hello?"

"Emmett?" Edward said, confusion marring his features as he heard the screams coming from the other end, "what are you doing?"

Emmett froze.

"Emmett?" Edward repeated again when nothing could be heard from his phone but the wailings of some kid.

Gulping, Emmett answered shakily, "yeah, Edward?"

"Emmett, bro, what's going on? Where are you? What's with the kid?"

Frantic, Emmett cast around in his brain, trying to find something to get Edward off his trail. Suddenly, he remembered Carlisle's phone call.

"Edward! Where are you? You need to get to Forks right now! Carlisle said something about Bella throwing herself off a cliff!"

A click sounded in Emmett's ear, signalling that Edward had hung up. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned towards Harry again, frustration apparent on his face. Somehow, he had to get Harry to calm down and the whole hotel room cleaned up before Rosalie came back.

I I I I I

Alice couldn't stop blaming herself for forgetting to check in with Carlisle after arriving in Forks and finding Bella still alive. If she had, none of the events in the last 72 hours would've happened. Edward wouldn't have flown to Italy to try and kill himself, and Bella wouldn't have been exposed to the Volturi. Despite everything, the three of them were finally returning to Forks. Alice could already see Carlisle, Esme and Jasper arriving back at their home and moving back in, which meant that Edward most likely read the thought from her head. Staring at Bella, who was stubbornly fighting sleep, Alice was once again thankful that they were all able to get out of Volterra in one piece.

When they finally got off the plane in Seattle, the three of them were shocked, for different reasons. For Bella, she did not expect to see the other 3 vampires waiting for their arrival. For Alice and Edward, they were shocked to find Emmett and Rosalie still missing. Alice had assumed that the couple would've made their way back to Forks by now. Frowning, she concentrated on the missing two.

Emmett was out in some field, trying to track down enough deer to keep himself satisfied without demolishing the deer population or alerting the locals to a sudden increase in deer deaths. Rosalie was in a hotel room of sorts, browsing through various real estate ads.

"They're not coming home?" Alice blurted out.

"Emmett said _what_?" Edward stared at Esme, confused, as he read the phone conversation between her and Emmett in her mind.

"Edward," Bella tugged on his arm, "what's going on? Where are Emmett and Rosalie? And why did Alice say they're not coming home?"

Carlisle gestured towards the exit, "perhaps it would be better if we discuss this somewhere more private. Bella, Edward, you can ride with Esme and I. Alice will go with Jasper, of course."

By the time Edward and Alice are finally back in the Cullens' residence, they were shocked to learn that Emmett and Rosalie weren't coming back to Forks, nor were they planning on doing so anytime soon. Alice would spend the next 10 years constantly looking into Emmett and Rosalie's future but never saw anything out of the blue of their time in UK.

As time passed, Emmett and Rosalie began to realize that their secret of Harry had not been discovered. It was all too possible for Edward to have forgotten about Harry from his phone call with Emmett in the distraction of having been misinformed that Bella killed herself by jumping off a cliff. The one thing they did not understand was Alice's vision – why she did not or could not see Harry. What they didn't know was that there was more to Harry McCarty than meets the eye.

* * *

Endnote:

As I'm not a fan of rewriting the events which had happened in the books, unless my version greatly deviates from the original, I'm assuming that you'll have read the books and know exactly what happens. The events from Eclipse and Breaking Dawn will also proceed as in the books, once again without Emmett and Rosalie, without my mention (well, I'll probably refer to bits and pieces of it to keep the two stories tied together).

I also hope you readers won't go ripping my head off because I separated the Cullen family. Have no fear, I will bring them all back again, but it won't be until after Harry entered Hogwarts. I'm still working out a couple of holes in my vague plot, such as when/where/who is going to discover that Harry is THE Harry Potter and what will happen afterwards.

The next chapter will move things along a little faster - the next 10 years in Harry's life. Then the fun begins with Dumbledore & co. finding out Harry has gone missing and the two worlds really begin to merge. Some chapters are easier (and more fun) to write, so for example, chapter 7 is already mostly written but I don't have anything yet for ch. 6. I'll try and update as fast as I can!


	6. Harry McCarty Grows Up

Author's Note:

In reply to one reader's response that I am trying to pass off a 20-month-old toddler for a 12-month-old baby, infants and toddlers can have a rather large range in sizes (and weight). Considering the amount of neglect/malnutrition Harry went through during those few months at the Dursley's as well as the mental abuse, I think it's possible for a 20-month-old to have the physical size of a 12-month-old.

Anyway, sorry about the late update. Summer has started, which means real life interferes with writing and posting. I'm not too happy with this chapter, because it feels very choppy, but I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I've left it as is. Hope you're still enjoying my story.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Harry McCarty Grows Up**

_1982_

As Alice had forseen, Rosalie spent much of the time in March after Harry's arrival browsing through real estate magazines and visiting different agencies. By the start of April, she had found the perfect little cottage in a remote part of England where she and Emmett could hunt freely with few neighbours around to wonder about the lack of food going into the house. Harry flourished in the new and loving environment. When all his injuries finally healed, Rosalie took him to a cosmetic surgeon who was successful in removing his lightning-bolt scar.

Two calls came from Carlisle in May and June, informing them of Victoria's return to Forks and the subsequent demise of her and her army. Despite the pleadings from Esme, especially after this last brush with danger for the whole family, Rosalie and Emmett chose to stay in England. Rosalie was especially incensed to learn of Edwards engagement with Bella and vowed not to return unless he completely sever ties with the girl, continuing the fracture of the Cullens.

August and September came and went, with more phone calls from Carlisle bearing news of Edward and Bella's wedding, her pregnancy, birth, and being turned into a vampire. The news that a mortal female could bear the offspring of a male vampire was surprising, but more surprising for Carlisle was Rosalie's lack of interest or concern about the fact. By this time, Harry was growing fast and well into the stages of tottering around, or walking with wobbly balance. His stumbles and falls often resulted in minor scraps, driving both vampires to the edge of their limits. Through sheer willpower on both their parts, especially Emmett, they were able to control their urges and care for every single 'boo boo' little Harry came to them with.

In these short six months, Emmett's control improved drastically. There were still occasions where he accidentally broke various items in the house, but these were happening more and more seldom as time went on. The first time he broke something in Harry's presence, it was in a fit of anger over the Dursleys' neglect and mistreatment of the child. However, seeing the boy's violent flinch as a result, he worked all the more harder at controlling his supernatural strength.

Rosalie also began to learn more about compassion. As a young child who hadn't learned to speak yet, or more accurately, had his speech scared out of him by the Dursleys, it was often difficult to discern the reason for Harry's tears. Her maternal instincts began to develop, and she became a much nicer and gentler person overall, a fact Emmett was keen to note but wise to keep silent on.

It was still a surprise to the couple that Alice had yet to mention or foresee the presence of little Harry in their lives. However, they chose to never look a gift horse in the mouth and kept silent every time a call from Carlisle came. They were also careful, after Edward's disastrous call back in March, to keep Harry well away from (vampiric) hearing distance of the phone for every single call.

December came with an early start in winter. The McCarty cottage was always kept at a high temperature to keep the chills from both winter and icy vampire body temperatures at bay. The house was decorated in an artful manner, and even young Harry had caught on to the joyous festival spirit, acting more exuberant than ever. A call in the middle of the month destroyed much of the happy atmosphere. The Volturi were on the move to Forks. Everyone was desperate to have Rosalie and Emmett back. This desperation mounted as first the Denali, then Irish and Egyptian and other covens arrived.

Little Harry, having learned to be extremely sensitive of the mood of the people around him from his time at the Dursleys, misunderstood the tense atmosphere and thought Rosalie and Emmett no longer wanted him around, began to retreat inside himself. It took a couple of days before Emmett was able to worm the problem out of the child. Once he realized what Harry was thinking, he immediately called Carlisle and told him point blank that he had other problems to deal with and wouldn't be returning to Forks. There was no way that he would allow Harry to believe he and Rosalie would ever abandon him, and Rosalie agreed with the decision.

Back in Forks, things were working themselves into a frenzy. After the disappearance of Alice, all the vampires took Emmett and Rosalie's refusal came as a devastating fact. However, as fate would have it, this worked for the Cullen and allies' favour, as the Volturi saw the missing pair as Carlisle's and thus, the Cullens', loss in power and were more lenient in letting them be.

With the new year came the good news that the showdown with the Volturi was mostly a bluff in that they were unwilling to take on even odds. However, Emmett and Rosalie's decision not to return home at such a crucial time had created a fracture in the once close-knit Cullen family...

I I I I I

_1983 – 1985_

Harry McCarty had almost everything a little boy could want for – loving parents, a warm, bright and cheerful home, acres of land for him to run around on, and many toys to keep him amused on cold, rainy days. The only thing he was missing were children his age to play with. After all, even though Emmett, who still made funny, sappy looking grins every time Harry called him "daddy", showed him all the naughty things little boys must do, Harry was still missing partners-in-crime to put the blame on when Rosalie, who also sported strange, almost tearful smiles when he called her "mommy", would scold him for getting dirty or generally misbehaved.

It wasn't that Harry never got to play with anyone else his age, as he occasionally got dropped off in the local daycare (he once heard his mommy say that it was "necessary for developing people skills", whatever that meant). He just wasn't allowed to invite anyone over, nor to let anyone know where he lived or anything about his parents except their names and phone number ("but only when it's really, really important, Harry," mommy had said). He got teased often by the mysterious way his family lives, but unfortunately for him yet somewhat fortunately for Rosalie and Emmett, he still remembered the fear, hunger, pain, and loneliness at the Dursleys, which meant that no matter what anyone said, he would always, forever and ever, love his mommy and daddy.

I I I I I

_March 12, 1986_

It was Harry's fifth birthday and the birthday boy was frustrated that he was still not allowed any cookies before lunch even though it was his birthday. A burst of accidental magic caused the entire cookie jar to fly from the kitchen shelf directly into his arms. Surprised, Rosalie and Emmett gaped at the child who began to madly cram cookies into his mouth before the jar could be snatched away. To his surprise, Emmett simply roared with laughter and swept the boy, cookie jar and all into his arms and began spinning around in circles. The care with which he must watch his strength was second nature by now and didn't require any active thought.

"That's my birthday boy! You show 'em, kiddo!"

Rosalie laughed as well but went to retrieve the jar before Emmett's energetic swinging could drop it.

The matter was discussed long after Harry had gone to bed. However, as the pair were unaware of the magical world, nor that magic did indeed exist, they chalked it up as vampiric speed having rubbed off on the child.

I I I I I

_1986 – 1987 _

Harry, having started kindergarten, was in the inquisitive stage of childhood, peppering poor Rosalie and Emmett with every kind of questions possible. Most of the questions were harmless, but some generally related to the pair being vampires and were more difficult to answer.

"Mommy, why are you always so cold?"  
"Because I didn't dress warmly when I was young, which is why you should always put your jacket on when I tell you to."

"Daddy, why are you always so cold?"  
"'Coz I just ate a giant tube of ice cream, that's why!"

Frowning, Harry crossed his arms in a huff. The two answers he got at separate times didn't match at all, and Emmett's answer made no sense at all, considering he had never seen them eat. That became the next question.

"Mommy, why don't you eat?"  
"Baby, I'm saving all the food for you, that's why."

"Daddy, why don't you eat?"  
"Look at me! If I eat anymore, I'd be a giant!"

As the answers continue to dissatisfy Harry, he kept asking.

"Why don't you go out when it's sunny?"  
Rosalie: "Daddy gets sunburns really easily."  
Emmett: "The sun hurts your mum's complexion."  
(Harry found it funny that they both blamed each other for that.)

"Daddy, why is it that you can break the chair just by sitting in it?"  
"What, oh, you saw that? Uh, don't tell mom! Please! I'll buy you an ice cream the next time we go shopping, ok, if you promise?"  
(No one else Harry knew could break a brand new chair by simply sitting in it, but none of the other children at kindergarten, nor did the teacher, believe him when he said that, so he promised and got a wonderful chocolate ice cream.)

"Gosh, mommy, how fast can you run?"  
(Harry had caught Rosalie's blur as she dashed back into the house to avoid a sudden break in the clouds.)  
"Fast, and if you want to do the same, finish your milk!"

Pretty soon, Harry began to focus on these questions incessantly. After an intense discussion late at night, Emmett and Rosalie decided that he was old enough to understand that they weren't human but rather, vampires. Emmett also explained that he was actually Harry's great-grandfather and that he rescued him from his relatives, the horrible Dursleys. Harry, being the bright and precocious boy that he was, took it all in stride and began to point out the peculiarities of the family and correctly guessing on all the reasons for each. Rather than feeling scared, he loved them all the more, as he knew real monsters existed in real life in the form of the Dursleys and bullies.

I I I I I

_1987 – 1991 _

First grade did not work out for Harry. A new family had moved into the small town, and with them, a horrible bullying boy the same age as Harry. After having arrived home in tears no less than the 10th time in that first month, he asked Rosalie in a distressing voice if Rosalie and Emmett couldn't just teach him at home instead. She promptly drove to back to the school the same day and withdrew Harry, inquiring about home schooling options and curriculum information.

While this meant Harry no longer had regular interactions with other children, Rosalie and Emmett made sure to bring him to all sorts of family fairs and festivals in the county (provided that it wasn't sunny). In turn, both Rosalie and Emmett instilled in him the love of learning, especially from firsthand accounts of events in America from 1920s onward.

During this time, Harry's accidental magic continued to happen. He turned a lady's wig blue one time at a fair when she gave him a small prize even though he clearly won the big prize. Another time, he found himself on the roof of a church as he ran away from a crowd of bullies at a church potluck dinner. Even though none of this should be possible for a small boy, Rosalie and Emmett had been vampires for far too long and simply passed them all as being vampire skills being picked up by Harry, even though it clearly never happened with any of the high school students they went to school with, nor Bella.


	7. Where is Harry Potter?

Author's Notes:

Wow, I haven't updated in over 2 months! Sorry about that! Things got a little insane and this just fell off to the side until more recently. Luckily, this chapter was mostly written already and just needed a final edit.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Where is Harry Potter?**

_July 24, 1991_

"Albus, this is simply unacceptable!" Minerva McGonagall cried out as she stormed into the headmaster's office.

"You'll have to be more clear than that, Minerva," Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, replied as he sipped his tea.

"This!" She threw a letter on his desk.

Albus picked it up with a frown, "This is one of our invitation letters, is it not?"

"Yes!" Minerva huffed.

"What is the problem then? Did a muggleborn decline to attend Hogwarts?"

"Albus, open your eyes and look. More precisely, look at the addressee and the response."

Albus turned the letter over and gasped, "no!"

Written on the envelop in elaborate script with green ink was:

_Mr. H. Potter  
Number 4 Privet Drive  
Little Whinging  
Surrey_

However, the name and address was crossed off with a ballpoint pen, hard enough that part of the envelop ripped. Scrawled messily beside that were the words: _NO SUCH PERSON!_

"Oh my! Minerva, we must make a visit to the Dursleys with all haste!"

"I _told_ you they were the worst sort of people, Albus. You should've listened to me!" Minerva yelled just as Albus went through the Floo.

Throwing some Floo powder into the headmaster's fireplace, she called out, "Arabella Figg's residence!" as the flames turned green and stepped in.

I I I I I

It was a typical Sunday morning in the Dursley household. Petunia had made a hearty breakfast for everyone, Vernon was at the dining table, reading the paper as he devoured his breakfast and Dudley ate with his eyes glued to the television. The doorbell ringing signalled the end of the Dursley's well-loved normality that morning.

"I'll get it, dear, just sit and finish your breakfast," Petunia said as Vernon made to move for the door.

"What inconsiderate salesmen, to come calling at this hour on Sunday," he grumbled as he sat back down.

Petunia opened the front door and snapped out, "No, we're not interested in what you're trying to sell!"

As she tried to slam the door in the visitors' faces, a hand came out to hold the door open.

"Now Petunia," came a grandfatherly voice, "we just want to know where young Harry Potter is."

Petunia screeched as she put all her weight on the door to try and close it, "No, no, go away! There are no Potters here! He left, ages ago, one of your kind claiming to be a relative came and took him away! Leave us alone!"

Her words had the opposite effect – instead of sending the wizard and witch on her door away, they came blasting in instead.

"**WHAT** did you say?" Albus roared as he pointed his wand at the door before producing a mild banishing charm to force his way in.

I I I I I

"Now just you look here," blustered Vernon, his face purple in rage, "you freaks can't just come barging into people's houses! Especially _normal_ people's houses!"

The four adults were now in the sitting room of the Dursley's house. Dudley had been sent to his room amid his cries and temper tantrum. Both Albus and Minerva were sitting on the couch, Albus calmly sipping tea he had conjured as Minerva glared at the Dursleys. Petunia and Vernon towered over the pair, raging about the injustice of having the pair raid their home.

Albus looked up and gave Vernon a steely glare. Vernon gulped.

"You will sit and you will tell me everything about how Harry Potter came to leave your residence," Dumbledore ordered in a voice that left no leeway for arguments.

Petunia hesitantly recounted the story of one Edmond McCathy coming, having confused the name due to memories lost to time, but changing the ending so that it sounded as if Edmond forcefully took Harry from her instead of her forcing Harry on him. Vernon then added his bit on seeing the Hogwarts letter, crossing it out and adding in 'no such person' before tossing it in with the rubbish when he found no return address. Unbeknownst to Petunia and Vernon, the owl that had delivered the letter had waited until nightfall before picking it out of the garbage and flying back to Hogwarts with the unopened letter, leaving it for McGonagall to find the next morning.

Without a word, Albus banished his tea, stood up and left, with a very confused Minerva following. When they got to Arabella Figg's house, she finally gave in and asked, "Albus, what is going on?"

"We'll see," was the cryptic answer.

As Arabella served the two tea, Albus casually asked, "what is your opinion of Harry Potter, Arabella?"

"But…" Minerva tried to speak up, but Albus cut her off.

As Arabella talked, Minerva slowly pieced the picture together. Harry had left the Dursleys before Arabella moved in, and in that time, Dudley must've found a friend with black hair and slender build that Arabella mistook to be Harry. This gave Mrs. Figgs the impression that Dudley and _Harry_ had a very good relationship, albeit horrible attitudes, as Dudley and his friends were more keen on picking on little kids and vandalizing the nearby playground than being well-behaved children.

After thanking Arabella for the tea and apologizing for the disturbance, Minerva and Albus returned by Floo back to Hogwarts.

Sinking into the nearest armchair, Minerva, with a white face, uttered, "Sweet Merlin, what are we going to do now? We've lost Harry Potter!"

"It simply does not make any sense!" Albus exclaimed, "Arabella Figg having confused on of Dudley's friends, I can understand, as her eyes are no longer as good as they used to be. But this indicator here shows the blood wards at full strength even though the wards have long since faded from the Dursley's house. The young man Petunia described was real, and he had proof that he is related to Harry, but yet we've searched and searched and never found any relatives apart from Petunia. It is a shame that Petunia's memories have long since faded – I couldn't even see his face or those papers he had for proof from her memories. Everything was mostly a blur."

"Albus?" Minerva tentatively questioned, uncertain of the headmaster's sanity, "What blood wards? And what do you mean Petunia's memories?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I put a powerful protective ward on Harry which requires him to live with a blood relative on his mother's side. That was supposed to be Petunia. The fact that the blood wards are still strong means that it was a blood relative who took Harry away. Or rather, I should say Petunia gave Harry away to a blood relative. I performed Legilimency on her while she was telling us. While the memory has faded and I couldn't see any details such as the young man's appearance, he had papers which showed his relation to Harry. Upon hearing that, Petunia simply gave Harry to this unknown relative and kicked them out. What concerns me most is that she clearly thought the stranger was a wizard!"

"She what? How could she, just give away a child like that! And to a wizard? Not a Death Eater!"

"Never mind what Petunia Dursley did. The fact is, we now have no idea where Harry Potter is anymore! I am going to revive the Order of the Phoenix to search for Harry Potter at once! And Kingsley, I'll get Kingsley to look for this 'Edmond McCathy'…"


End file.
